iOptron Tri-Pier for GoTo Mounts (White/Black)

At only 26 lb this tri-pier can hold up to 200 lb. Very well made and very strong. The center column can be moved up or down to suit your height requirement without tools. I use it for my Ioptron CEM60 mount. It is rock solid and hardly any vibration thanks to the included removable anti-vibration pads. The contrasting white color upper legs and stainless steel lower legs help avoid tipping by or kicking into the tri-pier in the dark. I highly recommend this pier.

The Ioptron Tri-pier is an extremely impressive fusion of engineering design, stuctural excellence, and aesthetic functionality. It is easy to set up, sturdy under heavy loads, impervious to wind (and the occassion bump), and pleasing to look at. In short, it does everything that you could want the foundation of your astrophotography setup to do. However, as is perhaps indicated by my rating, it does have one flaw, which is as perplexing to understand as it is unforgiveable. Everything about the tri-pier projects excellence, until you come to the mounting cap on top of the pillar. The mounting cap itself is very solid and well made. It has a recessed protrusion which extends into the pillar and is then secured by three screws to the pillar. Therein lies the problem, the screw holes in my pillar were poorly drilled, elongated and poorly aligned. The tiny screws that go though the pillar and into the mounting cap were so undersized as to be dumb-founding. Once secured as tightly as was practical, given their miniscule size, the mounting cap was easy to rock back and forth in the pillar with very little effort. This ability to shift would be quickly transferred to any drive mount secured to the cap as the telescope was moved, not really optimal. I was able to drill out and tap larger holes to secure the mounting cap and eliminate the problem, but given the otherwise excellent construction and not inconsiderable cost of this item, I can't imagine why this was necessary.

Excelent tri-pier, portable, adjustable, not much heavy, provides excellent stability specially with the pads (included) at the ends. Of course, matches very well Optron CEM70 mount head.